Server was ok, but the FOOD was perfect. Get the NY strip instead of the rib eye. Both are phenomenal, but it is rare that I enjoy the NY over a rib eye. The house sauces for the steaks are so good that I actually ate ALL the vegetables that came with the steak.
mohamad molavi
Just go...you won't be disappointed.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Elizabeth Bussell
Service, ambience, food all rate 10/10 we’ve been more than 5 times and have never been disappointed.
KEVIN THOMAS
I believe this is the best hidden gem in Bakersfield. The food and staff are excellent, best in town. The atmosphere is what makes this place a hidden gem. The owners are very engaging with the customers and make you feel like family.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Steak Dinner with Baked Potato, Lemon Drop
M J
Horse in the Alley is a bakersfield must-visit. I've lived here in Bakersfield for over 28 years and did not know this place existed I'm not sure how old it is but I'm pretty sure it's old maybe I was never on the level to be able to buy food this good, unsure about going downtown for dinner, or know that Bakersfield had food this good but this has become a birthday celebration go-to spot when I want to hang out with my friends for a special night out. H.I.T.A is BASICALLY HIDDEN in a Bakersfield historic alley, the outside is a bit sketchy at first but the atmosphere inside is intimate, dimly lit, and charming. What really elevates the entire experience is the amazing hospitality. The staff is highly attentive, and the head chef provided a wonderful personal touch, the head chef even came out of the kitchen to personally check on every table and with us he shared a story about the history of the place. The Grub: The Lamb Chop plate with rice pilaf and loaded baked potato the lamb was tender, the baked potato was well cooked the toppings were great, but the rice piilaf was mehhhhh, ( all in all the pilaf was dry and had no flavor,it was well cooked but flavorless) , next the chicken fettuccine Alfredo, which was exceptionally creamy, and the chicken on top was cooked juicy. My sis had the filet mignon which was cooked to absolute perfection, remarkably tender, and flavorful, similar to that of a real L.A. steakhouse (no picture because my bestie let me taste her filet)To finish your night, you have to order the warm, spongy, and gooey Malva pudding. WE SURE DID!! Definitely something different from any dessert we've ever had. My Take: Unlike the high-end restaurants in L.A. where you pay exorbitant prices for tiny portions, Horse in the Alley served us premium cuisine with generous portion sizes. H.I.T.A delivered a world-class dining experience and we walked way completely full and satisfied ,all at a fraction of the cost of a similar dinner in Los Angeles. Just make sure to get a reservation ahead of time!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Rancell Gonzalez
I came here with my friends and Loved the food. Made the reservation like 2 weeks in advance. The boss and his wife came out to say hello. They are awesome, best deserts.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Honest Patron
I had a reservation and went to the restaurant. The food was amazing. The service was different from what I've experienced here before. A group of middle-aged to elderly women appeared to be overserved and were behaving rudely, shouting and yelling. The staff did nothing to address their behavior, which was completely inappropriate. It was behavior that should have stayed at Trout's, not horse in the alley.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 5
Service: 2
Jackie Hughes
What a hidden gem!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Alfredo, Lemon Drop
Jason Holland
This place is unique, and amazing. I went during Valentine's and there was no hostess so we were a little confused on what to do. Other then that I had an amazing time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Casino Icon
Ok, the good: atmosphere and decor is nostalgic. The history also very cool, service from Samantha was attentive, did have extended wait times for bar service refills and a long laps after appetizer to entree. The NOT so good, hate to be “that” reviewer lol.. Not really!! The food is MEDIOCRE at best! Escargot was good not great, Ribeye with hunter sauce was a nothing special cut of meat, the hunter sauce had decent flavor the rice pilaf probably from a box and the mixed vegetables likely from a bag, I would rate the dinner equivalent to up scale diner meal with a “fancy” sherry sauce. Just my $.2…
Fantastic experience. Service and menu was exactly what we expected for this upscale intimate restaurant, got exactly what we paid for. Sorry we waited this long to visit but will definitely be back.
Edit: 02/2026, We're back in Kern County quite a bit now and every visit HAS to include The Horse. Still has the amazing menu and service we're used to, they're welcoming every time. Going to be many more visits from now on. A huge thank you here!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
LaTreya Burdick
Great food really good environment
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Brad Beagley
Best steak in town. Gotta order the Malva Pudding for dessert.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Caesar Salad, Escargot, Pudding
nick snow
Very Nice establishment, great service and great food. Will be going back! Ribeye and New York were excellent.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bruschetta
Rick Ramos
First time here and went for an anniversary dinner. Samantha, our server, was very professional and friendly. She made the experience truly a good one. Staff were very attentive to the needs of all the patrons. The food was delicious and we even had the chef come out to greet and chat with each table. Would definitely come back again and recommend this place to my friends.
Server was ok, but the FOOD was perfect. Get the NY strip instead of the rib eye. Both are phenomenal, but it is rare that I enjoy the NY over a rib eye. The house sauces for the steaks are so good that I actually ate ALL the vegetables that came with the steak.
Just go...you won't be disappointed.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Service, ambience, food all rate 10/10 we’ve been more than 5 times and have never been disappointed.
I believe this is the best hidden gem in Bakersfield. The food and staff are excellent, best in town. The atmosphere is what makes this place a hidden gem. The owners are very engaging with the customers and make you feel like family.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Steak Dinner with Baked Potato, Lemon Drop
Horse in the Alley is a bakersfield must-visit. I've lived here in Bakersfield for over 28 years and did not know this place existed I'm not sure how old it is but I'm pretty sure it's old maybe I was never on the level to be able to buy food this good, unsure about going downtown for dinner, or know that Bakersfield had food this good but this has become a birthday celebration go-to spot when I want to hang out with my friends for a special night out.
H.I.T.A is BASICALLY HIDDEN in a Bakersfield historic alley, the outside is a bit sketchy at first but the atmosphere inside is intimate, dimly lit, and charming.
What really elevates the entire experience is the amazing hospitality. The staff is highly attentive, and the head chef provided a wonderful personal touch, the head chef even came out of the kitchen to personally check on every table and with us he shared a story about the history of the place.
The Grub:
The Lamb Chop plate with rice pilaf and loaded baked potato the lamb was tender, the baked potato was well cooked the toppings were great, but the rice piilaf was mehhhhh, ( all in all the pilaf was dry and had no flavor,it was well cooked but flavorless) , next the chicken fettuccine Alfredo, which was exceptionally creamy, and the chicken on top was cooked juicy. My sis had the filet mignon which was cooked to absolute perfection, remarkably tender, and flavorful, similar to that of a real L.A. steakhouse (no picture because my bestie let me taste her filet)To finish your night, you have to order the warm, spongy, and gooey Malva pudding. WE SURE DID!! Definitely something different from any dessert we've ever had.
My Take:
Unlike the high-end restaurants in L.A. where you pay exorbitant prices for tiny portions, Horse in the Alley served us premium cuisine with generous portion sizes.
H.I.T.A delivered a world-class dining experience and we walked way completely full and satisfied ,all at a fraction of the cost of a similar dinner in Los Angeles. Just make sure to get a reservation ahead of time!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
I came here with my friends and Loved the food. Made the reservation like 2 weeks in advance. The boss and his wife came out to say hello. They are awesome, best deserts.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I had a reservation and went to the restaurant. The food was amazing. The service was different from what I've experienced here before. A group of middle-aged to elderly women appeared to be overserved and were behaving rudely, shouting and yelling. The staff did nothing to address their behavior, which was completely inappropriate. It was behavior that should have stayed at Trout's, not horse in the alley.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 5
Service: 2
What a hidden gem!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Alfredo, Lemon Drop
This place is unique, and amazing. I went during Valentine's and there was no hostess so we were a little confused on what to do. Other then that I had an amazing time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ok, the good: atmosphere and decor is nostalgic. The history also very cool, service from Samantha was attentive, did have extended wait times for bar service refills and a long laps after appetizer to entree. The NOT so good, hate to be “that” reviewer lol.. Not really!! The food is MEDIOCRE at best! Escargot was good not great, Ribeye with hunter sauce was a nothing special cut of meat, the hunter sauce had decent flavor the rice pilaf probably from a box and the mixed vegetables likely from a bag, I would rate the dinner equivalent to up scale diner meal with a “fancy” sherry sauce. Just my $.2…
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 4
Restaurantji Recommends
Fantastic experience. Service and menu was exactly what we expected for this upscale intimate restaurant, got exactly what we paid for. Sorry we waited this long to visit but will definitely be back.
Edit: 02/2026, We're back in Kern County quite a bit now and every visit HAS to include The Horse. Still has the amazing menu and service we're used to, they're welcoming every time. Going to be many more visits from now on. A huge thank you here!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food really good environment
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Best steak in town. Gotta order the Malva Pudding for dessert.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Caesar Salad, Escargot, Pudding
Very Nice establishment, great service and great food. Will be going back!
Ribeye and New York were excellent.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bruschetta
First time here and went for an anniversary dinner. Samantha, our server, was very professional and friendly. She made the experience truly a good one. Staff were very attentive to the needs of all the patrons. The food was delicious and we even had the chef come out to greet and chat with each table. Would definitely come back again and recommend this place to my friends.
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